The Inner Class Divide (Part 2)

Following on from Part 1 yesterday, it is time to consider whether there are any innate or conditioned psychological factors which can counteract the hold of capitalism over our psyches and identities…

A Social Brain

To answer this question we may go in search of something akin to innate, or core values to see where psychological barriers to capitalism may lie. Literature and philosophy are full of speculation on such matters and we do not have to go far to find a definition of self contrary to the solitary, competitive animal of the market place. “Man is by nature a social animal…Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.” Aristotle’s view of man is of course well known but to what extent does this fit a more contemporary profile?

Most of us would instinctively agree that as humans we have an innate need for social contact. Few great achievements are done in isolation and we have long known that collaboration is fundamental in helping us to surpass what we may succeed in doing alone. Our development as functional human beings takes place in an environment of social stimuli, as interaction with parents, siblings, teachers and peers all leave their mark on our formative personalities. Vygotsky and the social constructivists made a strong case for arguing that education is a social tool, with learning taking place as a result of cultural, social and linguistic interaction. In this model, learning is acquired and assimilated in a social context before being internalised. Learning is therefore best realised in social and collaborative environments.

Language and the Left

One of the things I’ll be pondering on this site will be resurgence of the political Left across Europe. With the demise of the traditional political ideology of the Labour party, I’ve found myself wondering whether Left Unity can tap into the strong anti-austerity sentiments in the UK and finally offer voters the chance of socially driven change. With this in mind I will start this blog off with an article that I originally wrote for the Left Unity website …

Language and the Left

“When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food they call me a Communist.”
Helder Câmara, former Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Brazil

In today’s world of 24 hour media and internet access we are bombarded with information. Little of this is neutral in terms of value judgements. A war is therefore constantly waged in order to win our support or our patronage for products and ideas. Politics has become increasingly depoliticised and commoditised. With the arrival of Tony Blair’s ‘third way’ into British politics, the centre ground underwent a dramatic shift to the right with the result that the electorate finds it hard to distinguish between candidates from the leading parties. When Francis Fukuyama pronounced the ‘end of history’ at the close of the cold war, he was implying the death of political choice as much as the end of an ideological war.